Meet the Seaweed Startup Making Functional Nutrition Actually Good

Uncracked, an algae-based functional food startup born out of UC Berkeley has quickly grown to be the largest distributor of sea moss gel in the Bay Area, still expanding nationwide. With new product releases coming soon, Uncracked is aiming to bring whole, real nutrition from ocean to table. The company's mission is simple but ambitious: to transform the wellness and supplement industry, one product at a time.

A Better Way Forward for Functional Wellness

At a time where the functional nutrient industry leaned heavily on chemically synthesized substitutes and unnatural additives, Uncracked offers an alternative perspective. The team focuses on whole food and real nutrition: not just fragments of vitamins and minerals, but the whole spectrum of nutrients in natural foods. Their search for a better functional ingredient led to an often overlooked powerhouse: seaweed. Nutrient-dense, regenerative, and deeply rooted in culinary traditions around the world, seaweed offers the perfect intersection of science, flavor, and sustainability.

Science Meets the Sea: Why Sea Moss?

Through research and countless experimentation, Uncracked began its voyage with sea moss, not just as a supplement, but as a versatile ingredient. While the gel had already begun trending in recent years as a supplemental product, Uncracked tapped into its culinary potential.

The 5 SKU lineup features flavors for both savory and sweet culinary applications, giving consumers a versatile range to choose from. Their formulation blends wild-harvested sea moss into a smooth, mineral-rich gel designed for both wellness and cooking as a functional ingredient, or simply as a nutrient fortifier. The Pure and Pineapple Ginger works in dressings, sauces, and soups, while the Blueberry Spirulina, Mango, and Strawberry Beet can enhance smoothies, baked goods, and jams.

Back to the Basics: Food Before it Got Complicated

Uncracked's story is a return to a time when food was simpler, more honest, and made from ingredients easily recognizable in the kitchen pantry. More than a design choice, Uncracked's retro-inspired identity is a mirror of what its founders stand for. The calm tones, organic textures, and sense of openness echo their upbringing by the ocean, where food and nature connected. From packaging design to product formulation, everything about Uncracked channels that retro spirit: whole, real, and functional food that stands the test of time.

For co-founder Kate, food has always been a form of care, it was something meant to nourish and sustain. Pinkie, who grew up in Thailand and was shaped by Chinese culinary traditions, shares that belief through her focus on accessibility and warmth. Together, they built Uncracked as a reminder that innovation doesn't have to mean creating something new… Sometimes it means rediscovering what already worked: whole, real food rooted in the rhythms of nature.